Say Goodbye to Out of Network Charges

(Charlotte) WBTV - Every time you swipe that ATM card at an out of network bank chances are you'll be asked to accept a fee. Imagine if you do that several times a month, how quickly that adds up to big bucks. Now with a smart phone app you can make sure you never have to hit that accept button again or feel guilty for wasting money!

The mobile apps use the GPS in your phone to track where you are and plot branches of your bank where you wont spend money on fees. I asked several people at Park Road Shopping Center to guess on how much the fees total most years. It was surprising to read that in 2010 banks pulled in billions on dollars on those fees. Billions! "I know I spend too much," said Robert Spencer. He travels a lot for work and often finds himself in need of cash in an unfamiliar town. "I know it's a lot of money, I don't want to think about it, it's the bookkeeper's job," he told me with a laugh.

But imagine what all those billions of dollars could do if customers had held onto them and not just given them away. Think about it, if you go to get 40 bucks from an out of network ATM and you are charged $3.00 by that bank, and if your bank also charges a fee, we're talking as much as five bucks, just so you can spend $40.00. That forty will now cost you $45!

Go to the app store on your smart phone, type in your bank's name, look for mobile banking, and look for the tab for 'locate branches, or locate ATMs. You will not be asked enter any account information.